Embrace Outdoor Activities During Winter Break
Winter is the perfect opportunity to pause from the daily routine and embrace moments of relaxation and fun as well. However, amidst all the enjoyment and departure from regular schedules, maintaining a sense of order becomes crucial to avoid chaos. How can you ensure that the fun remains enjoyable? Here are our tips to ensure this winter break becomes truly memorable.
Going outside might seem like a considerable effort, but there’s no need for an extensive excursion. A simple walk can do wonders. Step out the door and engage in uncomplicated activities, such as snow painting with Kool-Aid-filled spray bottles, creating a miniature snow city for your kids to navigate with their toy trucks, or bringing bowls and spoons outdoors for imaginative play cooking.
PLAN AHEAD
An excursion doesn’t always require an extended stay; day trips can be equally enjoyable with less effort! Explore destinations within a few hours of your home. Pack a picnic lunch, set out on your adventure, and build anticipation by learning about the chosen place beforehand. Upon returning, encourage your children to express their favorite part of the day through drawings.
LEARNING CAN BE FUN TOO!
Visit a local museum, library, or attend a children’s theatrical performance. Many theater companies cater to children, turning the experience into an engaging and enjoyable one rather than a tedious one. Additionally, some libraries offer free cultural passes to various venues, providing an opportunity to plan your day based on the available passes.
- Bundle up and go for a walk
- Build a snowman
- Make snow angels
- Walk through the neighborhood looking at holiday decor
- Help adults shovel snow
- Make frozen bubbles
- Spend 15 minutes outside on the Winter Solstice
- Build a snow fort
- Play flashlight tag
- Take a walk with hot chocolate
- Go sledding
- Paint with snow
- Look for winter birds
- Identify animal tracks
- Make a snow maze
- Make snow ice cream
- Plan a hike
- Make garland for the birds
- Go for a winter scavenger hunt
- Skiing
- Decorate an outdoor tree with twinkly lights
- Play tic-tac-toe using items from nature
- Host a neighborhood bonfire
- Sledding
- Roast s’mores
- Have a snowball fight
- Frozen colored ice globes.
- Go cross-country skiing
- Explore a nearby National Park
- Enjoy a New Year’s Day parade in your town
- Go snowmobiling
- Go ice skating
- Maple syrup snow candy
- Have a winter picnic
- Hibernation hunt
- Snow cake for animals
- Explore winter wildlife
- Host an outdoor snow Olympics
- Listen for owls
- Play pin the nose on the snowman
- Go geocaching
- Go ice fishing
- Go snowshoeing
- Make an obstacle course
- Collect maple sap
- Stargaze
- DIY Yeti tracks
- Plant onions
- Goose lessons
- Build a nest challenge
As family activities may vary from place to place, it’s beneficial to create a list of activities together with children, allowing everyone to share their favorites for a more enjoyable experience.